About the Course

Game Theory and Economics

IBM founder Thomas J. Watson once said, “Business is a game—the greatest game in the world if you know how to play it.” In today’s global marketplace, understanding game theory—the branch of mathematics that focuses on the application of strategic reasoning to competitive behavior—is key to success in business and economics. This course uses game theory as a framework from which to analyze a variety of real-world economic situations. You’ll analyze simple games to learn how they can be used to model actual situations encountered by entrepreneurs and economists. For example, you’ll apply the concept of Nash equilibria to find the perfect price for a pizza. Through class discussions, activities, research, and mathematical analysis, you and your classmates will acquire an understanding of more complex games and apply these methods to a variety of economic situations such as auctions and bidding behavior, fair division and profit sharing, monopolies and oligopolies, and bankruptcy.

Typical Class Size: 16-18
 

Course Overview

This course is

ungraded.

Summer Dates & Locations

Registration deadline:

After May 2, 2025, registration is available upon request pending eligibility and seat availability. To request placement, email [email protected] after submitting a program application.

Session One

Image of the Ursinus College campus
Ursinus College
Collegeville, Pennsylvania
-
Residential cost: $7,259
Commuter cost: $6,459
Enroll

Session Two

Image of the Ursinus College campus
Ursinus College
Collegeville, Pennsylvania
-
Residential cost: $7,259
Commuter cost: $6,459
Enroll

Testing and Prerequisites

  Math Verbal
Required Level CTY-Level Not required
Check your eligibility using existing test scores If you do not have existing test scores:

Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.

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Course Prerequisites

Game Theory and Economics requires:

1 prerequisite

Algebra 1

Cost and Financial Aid

  • Tuition
    • Varies
  • Application fee
    • Nonrefundable Application Fee - $55 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
    • Nonrefundable International Fee - $250 (outside US only)

We have concluded our financial aid application review process for 2025 On-Campus Programs. We encourage those who may need assistance in the future to apply for aid as early as possible. We are committed to serving all talented youth regardless of financial circumstances. Financial assistance is available based on need.

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Course Materials

Students should bring basic school supplies like pens, notebooks, and folders to their summer program. You will be notified of any additional items needed before the course begins. All other materials will be provided by CTY.
 

Sample Reading

These titles have been featured in past sessions of the course, and may be included this summer. CTY provides students with all texts; no purchase is required.

  • Game Theory and Strategy, Philip D. Straffin
  • Thinking Strategically, Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff

About Mathematics at CTY

Explore the study of shapes

Many of our courses allow students to describe the world around them in basic and profound ways. Younger students build foundational skills by exploring shape, scale, and proportion in Geometry and Spatial Sense. Middle School students delve into real-world applications of lines and analyze data with curves that follow uniform, symmetric, bell-shaped, or skewed patterns in Data and Chance. Advanced students unveil the deep interplay between numbers and shapes, investigating how triangular, square, and polygonal numbers create patterns that bridge geometry and algebra in Number Theory. By examining these elegant number patterns and symmetries, students discover how mathematics captures the intricate beauty and underlying structure of the natural world.

Dive deep into logic and reasoning

Our courses in formal logic give you the tools to question the world around you. Inductive and Deductive Reasoning introduces younger students to different types of reasoning, as well as the strengths and weaknesses inherent in various forms of critical analysis. Older students explore how logical reasoning can explain (or fail to explain) counter-intuitive results in Paradoxes and Infinities, or take a more rigorous approach to formal logic in Mathematical Logic.

Meet our instructors and staff